CVE-2008-6015 in EsFaq
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple SQL injection vulnerabilities in search.php in EsFaq 2.0 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary SQL commands via the (1) keywords and (2) cat parameters. NOTE: the provenance of this information is unknown; the details are obtained solely from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/27/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-6015 affects EsFaq 2.0, a web-based FAQ management system that is susceptible to multiple SQL injection attacks through its search.php script. This type of vulnerability represents a critical security flaw that allows remote attackers to manipulate database queries by injecting malicious SQL code through specific input parameters. The vulnerability specifically targets the keywords and cat parameters within the search functionality, which are processed without proper input sanitization or validation mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly escape or filter user-supplied input before incorporating it into SQL database queries. When users submit search terms through the keywords or cat parameters, the application directly concatenates these values into SQL statements without appropriate sanitization measures. This allows attackers to inject malicious SQL syntax that can alter the intended query execution flow, potentially enabling unauthorized database access, data manipulation, or even complete database compromise. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-89 which defines SQL injection as the insertion of malicious SQL code into input fields for execution by the database.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to organizations utilizing EsFaq 2.0 systems. Remote attackers can exploit these weaknesses to extract sensitive information from the database including user credentials, personal data, or business-critical information. The attack surface is particularly concerning as it requires no authentication to exploit and can be executed through standard web browser interactions. Depending on the database permissions and the attacker's skill level, successful exploitation could lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or even the ability to modify or delete database contents. This vulnerability also creates potential for privilege escalation attacks and can serve as a stepping stone for further network infiltration.
The exploitation of this vulnerability typically follows a pattern where attackers craft malicious input strings containing SQL injection payloads that can bypass authentication mechanisms or extract data from the database. These attacks often leverage techniques such as union-based queries, time-based blind injection, or error-based extraction methods to gather information about the database structure and contents. The lack of proper input validation and output encoding creates an environment where attackers can manipulate the application's behavior and gain unauthorized access to sensitive data. Organizations should consider implementing comprehensive input validation, parameterized queries, and proper database access controls as mitigation strategies. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and timely patch management for web applications, as this type of flaw has been documented in multiple security advisories and represents a well-known attack vector that has been extensively studied and documented within the cybersecurity community.